Gary Chaplin, from Wilmslow, is celebrating after pitching to renowned businessman Theo Paphitis and being crowned winner of the 2016 Many Hands Campaign in support of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity.

The annual Many Hands Campaign, spearheaded for the fourth time by renowned businessman Theo Paphitis, has raised £46,000 from 21 participating companies since its launch in March, with money still coming in.

At the finale, held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, four companies took to the stage to pitch about their fundraising initiative, including Gary who stripped off on stage to reveal his bespoke cycling jersey and shorts, designed especially for the ride, before getting on his bike to talk about his cycle event that aimed to cycle the height of Mount Everest.

To accomplish this, a team of 16 riders spent ten hours repeatedly cycling up the infamous Cat and Fiddle route with the total distance covered equating to the height of Mount Everest. Each loop saw the cyclists covering a distance of 14 miles and over 1,500ft per run. The team cycled over 72 loops on the day, equating to an incredible 3.8 climbs of Mount Everest.

Gary himself returned the following day to complete a further 5 climbs, taking his overall tally to 19 runs and £29,400ft….more than the height of Mount Everest.

Gary was joined on stage by his 7yr old daughter who not only handed out rider Musettes to the judges, donated to all the riders by TeamSky, but also cheered him on from the audience.Innovation was a key part of the Charity Campaign, and along with the ride itself, Gary sold sponsorship space on his cycle jerseys to clients and corporate contacts.

Further innovation came from Gary offering a prize draw to anyone sponsoring the event, with prizes including Two Return Flights courtesy of Jet2.com, aluxury weekend atThe Savoy London, and a Tour De France Jersey signed by Chris Froome courtesy of Team Sky.

As part of his prize package, Gary will now receive a personal visit from Theo Paphitis to help him with his business.

The other shortlisted companies were:

Space48 from Warrington for their festival influenced event for all the family, ‘Space Camp 48’, which included camping, music and entertainment.

Manchester based Online Ventures Group for their initiative of selling their directors to the highest bidder to take on tasks such as being a PA, chauffeur and making a film.

Archie’s Burgers and Shakes, based in Liverpool and Manchester, for their initiative of producing milkshakes created by patients at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and selling them with the profits being donated to the campaign.

Joining the famed Dragons’ Den star on the judging panel to make the all-important decision were David Cain, Deputy Chairman of the Charity Fundraising Board, Managing Director of Wolfe, Laura Wolfe and Head of Events for Downtown in Business, Roger Jonas.

Commenting on his win Gary Chaplin said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won the Many Hands Campaign. I was a little bit nervous about pitching to Theo Paphitis but once I stripped off and got on that bike my nerves melted away and I could focus on sharing the enormous Everest cycle challenge we had taken on. At the end of the day it’s not about me it’s about the business community pulling together with the real winner being Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity for their hard work in trying to make a difference.”

Commenting on the Campaign, long-term supporter of the charity, Theo Paphitis, said:

“The Many Hands Campaign is a great initiative that allows companies to use their ingenuity to help a worthwhile cause. I really enjoy being involved and being a judge for the campaign as it generates such diversity in fundraising ideas. As well as having loads of fun, whether creating a milkshake, getting on a bike or taking on a new role, companies get a great opportunity to engage with their communities and gain a huge sense of pride in what they have achieved.”

The annual campaign, which first launched in 2008, encourages North West businesses to support the charity by signing up to a fundraising target of £1,000 each over the course of three months. This year the Many Hands Campaign was sponsored by Ryman Stationery and Seneca Partners.

Monies raised by this year’s campaign will go towards the Charity’s Helipad Appeal. The Helipad Appeal will enable the creation of a brand-new 24-hour access primary helicopter landing site, the first of its kind in central Manchester. Currently, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, along with its co-located sister hospitals Manchester Royal Infirmary and Saint Mary’s Hospital, rely upon a secondary landing site in a nearby park, an arrangement which means that patients initially transported by air ambulance must then be transferred the final mile of their journey by land ambulance. The onsite helipad will allow the hospitals to save many more lives and will increase the chances of a full or improved level of recovery in a great many seriously ill or injured patients.